Impedance-Based Rapid Diagnostic Tool for Single Malaria Parasite Detection.

This paper presents a custom, low-cost electronic system specifically designed for rapid and quantitative detection of the malaria parasite in a blood sample. The system exploits the paramagnetic properties of malaria-infected red blood cells (iRBCs) for their magnetophoretic capture on the surface of a silicon chip. A lattice of nickel magnetic micro-concentrators embedded in a silicon substrate concentrates the iRBCs above coplanar gold microelectrodes separated by 3 μm for their detection through an impedance measurement.

On-chip magnetophoretic capture in a model of malaria-infected red blood cells.

The search for new rapid diagnostic tests for malaria is a priority for developing an efficient strategy to fight this endemic disease, which affects more than 3 billion people worldwide. In this study, we characterize systematically an easy-to-operate lab-on-chip, designed for the magnetophoretic capture of malaria-infected red blood cells (RBCs). The method relies on the positive magnetic susceptibility of infected RBCs with respect to blood plasma.

On-Chip Selective Capture and Detection of Magnetic Fingerprints of Malaria.

The development of innovative diagnostic tests is fundamental in the route towards malaria eradication. Here, we discuss the sorting capabilities of an innovative test for malaria which allows the quantitative and rapid detection of all malaria species. The physical concept of the test exploits the paramagnetic property of infected erythrocytes and hemozoin crystals, the magnetic fingerprints of malaria common to all species, which allows them to undergo a selective magnetophoretic separation driven by a magnetic field gradient in competition with gravity.